Evil Knievel's long lost grandson...

...might just be my brother Benny. As soon as he sits on his bike all fear and apprehension disappears. He is an unstoppable force, already a threat on the national stage so early in his career. And today? He turns twelve. I'm not sure what's more remarkable, that he's a crazy Motorcross rider (at such a young age) or that he is turning twelve (it's hard for me to imagine my youngest brother getting older). Regardless, he's a pretty remarkable kid.



(Thanks for the photo mom!)

Daytona What?

This week my brother Jacob (aka Harry) and his friends stopped through town on their 2009 Spring Break Tour Through Illinois. We had a great time kicking back and learning all of the new, cool, high school slang.

Save the date...

for October 16th. You'll want to go see this.

The Lake

Today marked the first run of the year along the lakefront. Sometimes when I look at Lake Michigan I forget that I am standing in Chicago. On a perfectly cloudless day the lake transforms into a vast and sparkling sea; it simply seems too large to be called a lake. We put on our running shoes and game faces (apparently that's mine below) and ran 13.1 glorious miles. Such a fantastic way to spend a late morning with my favorite person.

Project #29

My envelope is packed full and ready to be sent off. This was such a fun project. With the goal of stuffing the envelope with interesting items for one person in your life, scavenging about the house and handpicking each item was a very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. In case you didn't have a chance to jot down the project instructions, you can find them below.






Project #29 Get a regular-sized envelope. Address it to someone special. Then, stuff it with as many things as you can: a letter, photographs, torn out magazine articles or newspaper clippings, photocopies of poems, a short story or passages from a novel, recipes, artwork, poems or stories you've written...Anything that can be folded up and put in an envelope. Make sure to stuff it so full that you need to use tape to keep it sealed. This envelope should have serious heft. Once it's sealed, get the proper postage put on it (definitely use stamps) and mail it off.

the first sure sign

Turn off your computer and go do something.

Brilliant video by John Kelly.

such a sight

I spent most of yesterday evening archiving and backing up photos. I found this shot buried among some of the earliest shots taken in Baltimore. Such a glowing gem of a place. (Charlie gets the credits for the photo.)

St. Patrick's Day

We sported our green and celebrated all day Saturday. The weather was exceptional, a perfect day for gathering with friends, watching basketball, and toasting the beginning of spring and all things Irish.

to travel

I have the itch to travel so badly right now. If we had unlimited money, I predict we'd be on our way to Australia. Or the Caribbean. Somewhere warm. This hasn't been helped by the series of emails Charlie has sent me over the past week with titles such as, "I want to take you somewhere warm where people don't write briefs." The emails include links to various beautiful and remote beaches far from the reaches of the brisk Chicago air.

We've been reminiscing about this time last year when we were traipsing through Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. The other evening Charlie cooked up a pot of turkey paprikash and we played back our trip last spring. We had two amazing weeks together, usually heading out for the day with one or two destinations in mind, but otherwise we wandered, ate, drank, talked, people-watched. It was a wonderful escape for two weeks. I look forward with great excitement to the next adventure we will plan.

Things I’m Loving

Thirteen good things for you to check out on this Friday the 13th

1. Just another reason why I love the New York Times
One is 8 Million is a weekly web series featuring different characters in New York City. Amazing.

2. The Cult of Done Manifesto
by Bre Pettis and Kio Stark
1. There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion.
2. Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done.
3. There is no editing stage.
4. Pretending you know what you’re doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you’re doing even if you don’t and do it.
5. Banish procrastination. If you wait more than a week to get an idea done, abandon it.
6.The point of being done is not to finish but to get other things done.
7. Once you’re done you can throw it away.
8. Laugh at perfection. It’s boring and keeps you from being done.
9. People without dirty hands are wrong. Doing something makes you right.
10. Failure counts as done. So do mistakes.
11. Destruction is a variant of done.
12. If you have an idea and publish it on the internet, that counts as a ghost of done.
13. Done is the engine of more.

3. Way hipper than weather.com

4. Uncle Austin’s granola recipe at Homesick Texan

5. This American Life on Television: Season Two (now available in stores and on iTunes) Incredible.



6. The Human Clock
Keep this open for a little while, it's pretty interesting!

7. For those of us not lucky enough to attend the SXSW Festival, NPR is providing excellent coverage. They’ve put together a playlist of 100 artists playing this year. Click here to stream it. They’ve also put together a free 10-song sampler available here for download on iTunes.

8. My friend Seth’s article about Baltimore

9. A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table
By Molly Wizenberg

10. My homepage

11. David Hockney
He has been a favorite of mine since college. This week I rediscovered how much I love his work.

12. The music of Jackson C. Frank
(Thanks Channing!)

13. Do you dance around your house a lot? A lot of dancing goes on in our house. Ely Kim danced for 100 days in 100 different locations to 100 different songs. If you don’t smile while watching this, you have a cold, cold heart.

Project #14

This was a lot of fun. I browsed my iTunes library by play count and picked a few of my favorite songs. I've included lyrics to a couple of the songs below. I've also included a playlist which features the songs I looked up. It was a great exercise to sit and actively read the lyrics.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Nick Drake
From the Morning

A day once dawned, and it was beautiful
A day once dawned from the ground
Then the night she fell
And the air was beautiful
The night she fell all around

So look see the days
The endless coloured ways
And go play the game that you learnt
From the morning

And now we rise
And we are everywhere
And now we rise from the ground
And see she flies
And she is everywhere
See she flies all around

So look see the sights
The endless summer nights
And go play the game that you learnt
From the morning

The Kinks
Waterloo Sunset

Dirty old river, must you keep rolling
Flowing into the night
People so busy, makes me feel dizzy
Taxi light shines so bright
But I don't need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunsets fine

Terry meets Julie, Waterloo station
Every Friday night
But I am so lazy, don't want to wander
I stay at home at night
But I don't feel afraid
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunsets fine

Millions of people swarming like flies round Waterloo underground
But Terry and Julie cross over the river
Where they feel safe and sound
And the don't need no friends
As long as they gaze on Waterloo sunset
They are in paradise

Waterloo sunsets fine

The Beatles
A Day in the Life

I read the news today oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure
If he was from the House of Lords

I saw a film today oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
but I just had to look
Having read the book
I'd love to turn you on

Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke,
and Somebody spoke and I went into a dream

I read the news today oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall
I'd love to turn you on

Neil Young
On the Way Home

When the dream came
I held my breath
with my eyes closed
I went insane,
Like a smoke ring day
When the wind blows
Now I won't be back
till later on
If I do come back at all
But you know me,
and I miss you now.

In a strange game
I saw myself as you knew me
When the change came,
And you had a
Chance to see through me
Though the other side
is just the same
You can tell
my dream is real
Because I love you,
can you see me now.

Though we rush ahead
to save our time
We are only what we feel
And I love you,
can you feel it now.

Simon & Garfunkel
America

"Let us be lovers we'll marry our fortunes together"
"I've got some real estate here in my bag"
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And we walked off to look for America

"Kathy," I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now"
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America

Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said "Be careful his bowtie is really a camera"

"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all gone to look for America
All gone to look for America
All gone to look for America

Project #14
Write down the lyrics to your favorite songs.

Spring Ahead

I miss making art. It has been a consistent part of my life since childhood. But in recent months, it has taken a backseat to other obligations and distractions. Today it dawned on me how much I miss devoting that time to making art and writing. I've talked with many of my creative friends about making time for these passions, about how important it is to work hard in all aspects of your life and to devote yourself fully to what makes you the happiest. Because at the end of the day? That's what matters most. Lately I don't feel I've given those parts of my life enough attention. There have been times when I've let one portion of my life overshadow the other. And sometimes this is unavoidable. When work requires a long day, I want nothing more in the evening than to sit with Charlie, watch some TV, and drink some wine. I feel mentally and physically drained and the thought of working on any personal, creative pursuits? No thank you.

It might be the changing seasons. When the weather shifts, I awaken again and evaluate the months that have passed. I think about what I am thankful for and what is missing. And today I'm making a public pledge to devote more time to my creative pursuits. I'm committing myself to a weekly check-in on here through May 1st as I jump start my routine. We shall see what results may come.

I'm also sharing my weekly check-in questions below. Even if I fall off keeping a journal, I still sit down with the following questions each week. I recommend it. It will help you discover if anything in your life is out of balance and help you clear your mind. Saturday morning, before your coffee, evaluate yourself.

• What did I do for my health this week?
• for my mind?
• for my marriage (or romantic relationship)?
• for my spirituality?
• for my creative side?
• for my family and friends?
• for my finances?
• What feels out of balance? What can I do to balance things back out?

Lastly, I wanted to mention a great book from Jeffrey Yamaguchi called 52 Creative Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity. In his book he provides 52 creative ideas to brighten your life. I've never worked my way completely through the book, so I thought I'd begin choosing an idea from the book at random and posting it on the sidebar each week. This week's idea will be up until Sunday. I will post a new one on Sunday and will continue posting the projects every Sunday. I'm going to do my best to complete the projects. Join in if you feel inspired any week and let me know what comes of your attempts!

Barrister's Ball,

like your high school prom except with hundreds of law students, an open bar, and a photo booth with props. Good times, a late night, and sore feet from all the dancing.

Hello March

The month of March is off to a snowy start. The flurries made for a quiet and lovely Sunday. We finished off the day with a pot of spicy and delicious beans. This recipe makes for the perfect end to a weekend and also sets you up with great lunches for the week. It takes a bit of time, but most of it can be done in advance or made on a quiet day like today. Serve alongside some proper bread and a salad.

Giant Chipotle White Beans
Heidi Swanson
Serves about 6

1 pound of large, dried white beans (corona, giant limas, gigantes, or any giant white beans you can find), rinsed, picked over and soaked overnight - or up to 24 hours.

Chipotle-tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 big pinches of red pepper flakes
2 pinches of salt
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers

Cilantro Pesto:
1 medium clove of garlic
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
big pinch of salt

2/3 cup kale or chard, washed, de-stemmed, and very finely chopped
1 cup queso fresco or feta cheese
1 1/2 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs, toasted in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil

To prepare the beans. Drain and rinse the beans after their overnight soak. Then place them in a large saucepan and cover with an inch or two of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are cooked through and just tender. This can take anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on your beans, but do your best to avoid overcooking. Remove from heat, salt the beans (still in bean broth) with about a tablespoon of salt - enough that the bean liquid is tasty but on the salty side. Let the beans sit like this for ten minutes or so before draining and setting the beans aside.

In the meantime, make your tomato sauce. Place the 2 tablespoons olive oil, red pepper flakes, couple pinches of salt, and chopped garlic into a cold medium saucepan. Stir while you heat the saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute just 45 seconds or so until everything is fragrant - you don't want the garlic to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and the fresh oregano and heat to a gentle simmer, this takes just a couple minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the adobo sauce. If the sauce needs more salt add it now, more chipotle flavor? Go for it. Set aside.

Make the cilantro pesto by combining the clove of garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Pulse while you drizzle in the olive oil. Season with a bit of salt and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a 9x13 baking pan (or large oven-proof casserole/dutch oven) toss the beans with the tomato sauce and the kale. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake in the top-third of the oven for roughly twenty-five (if you're using queso fresco) to forty minutes. Look for the cheese to start browning and any visible beans to get a bit crusty. Remove from oven and let sit for about ten minutes. Top the beans with the breadcrumbs and just before serving drizzle with the cilantro pesto.